水守護程序 Water Demon
by TheManfromGallifrey
Summary: River faces her demons. "Bullet in the brain pan, squish." Set sometime after the series, but before Serenity. This is my first attempt at writing the characters of Firefly. I hope you like it.
1. Chapter 1

_水守護程序_

_**(Water Demon)**_

**At some point everyone has had a death wish, even if they don't remember it, or want to admit it. There is always a point when they realize they might be better off dead. **

**Some people act on this knowledge. **

**They try, either successfully or unsuccessfully, to destroy themselves, and stop the hurting. **

**But others, others use this realization as motivation. They dig down deep, to the very heart of their being, and discover that at their core their resolve is made of something that is impenetrable and unshakeable. And with that knowledge, they take off into the deepest, darkest places in their mind and confront their demons. They drag them, kicking and clawing, out into the light, and expose them for what they truly are. **

**But in the end, unfortunately, sometimes the demon is all that 's left.**

River Tam peered out the open bay door, unsure of what her next move would be. She knew what she had done was wrong. She knew there was no way Simon would be able to forgive her this time, even though he was her brother. Surely the Captain would throw her off the ship for good after this, unless she did it first. Running, jumping, falling, flying, squish, end of the voices…

Rain poured down, and the trees flew by just feet below the open bay. Her face splattered from the droplets of water spraying in through the open hatch. Small puddles formed where her dress dripped water onto the floor. Little streams flowed back into the ship, lost among the countless crates of cargo. The sound of the engines, and the wind, and the torrential rain mixed into a howl as it whipped through the cargo hold.

"I hate campfires." She says.

Suddenly she realizes that she doesn't just hate campfires, she hates the idea of campfires, the need for them, of living outside, of being forced to live outside, reliant on someone to provide heat and food, reliant on Simon. Even now she must go to him every time her medicine needs changed, every time she starts to lose her mind. Simon is the only one who can stop the voices. But he can't hear them, doesn't really believe in them. But they are there, though less than before. Someone, somehow must silence the voices before they reach a crescendo of…

Suddenly there is hope, maybe it's not too late, and maybe the Captain won't throw her off the ship. A sudden thumping sounds from under the deck. It appears Jayne did grab hold of something before River threw him off the front of the cargo ramp. Jayne can barely hold on. Clinging to a soaked tow strap for dear life, bouncing against the bottom hull of the ship. River leans out further to pear down at Jayne. He glares back at her; his mouth spewing words that would make the Captain blush, but the wind tears them from his throat before they can reach River. If he ever gets back on _Serenity_, River knows he will never trust her again. She knows that she shouldn't be trusted again, and yet, it really wasn't her fault. Jayne did start the whole thing, didn't he? Stealing her roll at dinner last night. Punching Simon in the arm, saying he was just kidding.

"Yes." River thought, "Jayne Cobb deserves everything that has happened to him."

But judging by the language coming from Jayne's mouth, he doesn't appear to feel the same way.

"If you don't get me back in this Gorram boat right now I'll…" Jayne shouts, but he is cut off by the sound of the engines and the wind whipping past.

Jayne's fingers slip slowly down the strap. There's no chance of him climbing back in by himself. It's too slick, too cold, too wet. If only he hadn't grabbed that strap, he wouldn't be in this position. He'd already be finished, on the ground, cold, dead. Then, maybe, River could get some peace… wait, no. Simon wouldn't like that, River wouldn't like that, shouldn't like that, but…

"You Ching-wah tsao duh liou mahng!"

The Captain is yelling, he's always yelling, but not at her this time, at Simon. How dare he.

"Keep you're _Fay-fay duh pee-yen mei-mei under control, or I'm _going_ to throw her outta the Gorram airlock!" Mal informs Simon as he pushes past him toward River and the open ramp. _

_Mal, along with Simon, pulls Jayne back into the ship, but not before bouncing him off the hull several more times. Simon closes the open hatch, and the sound of the storm is shut out. Only the sound of water dripping to the deck breaks the silence. Simon turns to River angrily, but before he can say anything River cuts him off._

"_He needed a shower, he smells." _

_River walks past the Captain, up the stairs to her room, singing quietly to herself as she goes. Jayne is soaked to the skin, and not happy about it. He's bruised and his hands are burned from holding on to the tow strap._

"_Cap'n if she ever touches me again I swear, I'll…" Jayne says menacingly, but he's not very convincing in his current drowned rat state._

"_You'll what, Jayne? She's a ninety pound girl, and she's kicked your sorry pigu at least three times this week." Mal responds and turns to Simon. _

"_Earn your pay, and patch up Jayne's hands, Doc. And keep a better eye on your feng mei-mei, I can't afford to lose Jayne on this mission, too much heavy lifting left to do." _

_Then turning back to Jayne, "And she was right, you do smell." _

_Mal winks and walks off without another word, leaving Jayne and Simon looking at each other. Jayne's face turns red and he glares at the back of Mal's head. Simon smiles at Jayne's reaction and chuckles, Jayne punches him square in the nose. "I don't smell…"_

**Take my love, take my land **

**Take me where I cannot stand**

**I don't care, I'm still free **

**You can't take the sky from me**

**Take me out to the black**

**Tell 'em I ain't comin' back**

**Burn the land and boil the sea **

**You can't take the sky from me**

**There's no place I can be **

**Since I found serenity**

**But you can't take the sky from me**


	2. Chapter 2

**老朋友**

**(Old Friends)**

**Chapter 2**

**The planet Flora Maxus is, as its name suggests, teeming with plants of overwhelming stature. The trees grow to the size of skyscrapers and the forests floor is covered in lush green plants with leaves bigger than space cruisers. No one is sure why the plants grow so well here, but most theories suggest that something must have been horribly miscalculated in the terra-forming process. The first colonist of Flora Maxus took advantage of the abundant plant life to start a thriving industry, which still continues today. "Flor" as the locals call it, is the number one supplier of lumber to the 'verse, and a constant flow of outgoing timber makes it the perfect stop for a Captain looking to make an honest living for his crew. It is also a perfect stop for a Captain that is looking for work that is a little less than honest. **

**Recently, growing mistrust of the native workers, and unusual rumors about people disappearing into the woods, only to show up months later having no knowledge of what happened to them, has led to a steady drop in the number of frigates willing to take on cargo from the local mills. In fact the situation has gotten so desperate that Bardin Siryll, the owner of Flora Exports Interplanetary, Inc. has contacted his friend and former rival, Malcolm Reynolds, to help him get his goods off world. The crew of ****_Serenity, _****not being one to back away from a challenge, has landed at the capitol city of Senlin hoping to negotiate a contract with F.E.I. inc. that will finally allow them to make a steady income. Now all Mal has to do is keep his crew in line long enough to make a good impression on Mr. Siryll in the morning…**

Jayne Cobb slammed his empty glass down on the wooden bar. "Give me another Gorram drink before I shoot someone!" Jayne yelled at no one in particular.

"Oh I think you've had more than enough, Jayne." Shepherd Book interrupted before the bartender could come out from his hiding spot to pour another round.

"Now you listen good Shepherd. Just 'cause you're a man uh the Almighty don't mean you got any right ta stop me drinkin'." Turning back to the bartender Jayne drew his pistol and pointed it straight between his eyes. "Now get me another _Shiong mao niao _drink!"

"I'm sorry son, but I can't let you do that." Book insisted.

"Let me!? Let me?! Last time I checked you weren't the Cap'n of my boat!" Jayne turned his gun on Book. "You ain't got no right ta…"

"But I do…" Mal stepped up behind Jayne. "And the next time you point that piece at one of my crew you'll be riding the hull while we leave atmo'."

"Mal, you best not be threatenin' me right now. I ain't exactly in the mood." Jayne glared at Mal.

"And I ain't exactly threatenin'." Mal looked past Jayne's shoulder to the woman with the gun pointed at his head.

Zoe cocked the hammer on her rifle. "Now put it away, Jayne." She said flatly.

Jayne reluctantly de-cocked his pistol.

"Drink round here ain't worth mule spit anyhow. I'm gonna go find me some folk who ain't so gorram easily upset about a little misunderstandin'..." Jayne grumbled out the door and stumbled off into the night.

"Glad to see your crew is making a good impression." A voice called from behind the bar.

Mal turned but was stopped short as he rotated into the chest of a man the size of a small Agri-Freighter. Being eye to belly button made a conversation difficult. He took a step back and realized that the person talking to him was behind the large man now blocking his way.

"Mal, I would have thought that you would have come to see me first thing when you landed. Being as we're such good friends. If I didn't know better I would have thought you were trying to avoid me." The man continued from behind his beefy bodyguard.

Mal was growing more confused by the moment. "I'm sorry partner, but I think you mightta got me confused with someone who looks like me, handsome fella I gotta say. Now I ain't got no idea what you're talking 'bout, so if you'll excuse us we'll be…" Looking towards the door the crew began to make their exit.

"Now just hold on a sec, Malcolm, no need to run off. I think we have some business to discuss." The man stepped out between Mal and the door before they could leave.

"Bard?" Mal exclaimed.


	3. Chapter 3

醫務室

(Infirmary)

**_Chapter 3_**

Simon Tam sat in the sterile white surroundings of his infirmary. He nursed his sore nose, checking to see if anything was broken. Maybe, but not bad enough to worry about, it would heal up in a day or two, only a nasty bruise left for the crew to mock him about for the next week. At least everyone else had either gone out or gone to bed. Now that the ship was quiet, and Simon was finally alone with only the blinking lights of his medical equipment to keep him company, he could turn to his computer and begin looking over the results of his tests. He had just finished another scan of River's brain and he had a lot of data to sift through. The only thing he needed was some peace and quiet to actual analyze the data. However, peace and quiet was something of a rarity aboard _Serenity_ as of late.

Everyone knew that The Alliance had been playing with River's memories, implanting new ones and removing things that didn't fit their profile. But something else had happened to her mind as well. It was like River could gather information simply by being near someone. Like she could hear thoughts and absorb them, like a dry sponge in a pool of water. He just had to figure out...

"Jayne's just a big bully." Came a voice from behind Simon. He jumped scattering his stack of notes in the process.

Kaylee entered the small infirmary quickly and bent down to help Simon pick up his mess of papers. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't a startled ya like that. It can get awful creepy down here after the Cap'n shuts all the lights off. I've scared myself something terrible before, tryin' to get back to my room or whatnot when it's dark. Cap'n says I shouldn't be so jumpy but I just…"

"No Kaylee, it's alright… I was just concentrating on my work and I didn't notice you standing there. How long were you standing there anyway?" Asked Simon.

"Oh you know, not very long, just passin' by, weren't like I was starin' at ya or somethin', not the you ain't worth starin' at, but... well… I was just wonderin' how yer nose was doin' after Jayne hit ya earlier?" Kaylee asked awkwardly, her cheeks bright red. She gave Simon a smile, but it didn't help to hide her embarrassment.

"Well, it's broken, so I guess not that good. It will heal fine though, probably won't even leave a mark. It will just be swollen for a couple days." Simon answered distractedly. He bent down to finish picking up the papers he had scattered.

"Oh ok, well that's shiny. Wouldn't wanna have to worry about the Doctor needin' any fixin', would we? " Kaylee began to make her way out of the infirmary. Simon continued to pick up his papers, barely acknowledging Kaylee as she left.

"Well, night Simon, glad you're ok."

"Huh, oh yeah…" Simon continued shuffling through his papers. Finally he got everything put back where he wanted it.

"Dope."

Simon looked up as a voice came from the air vent above him.

"River, what are you doing up there? I thought you were in bed."

"Can't sleep, too much work, have to keep an eye on you, make sure you don't miss it." River replied as she climbed down from the vent.

"Miss what, Mei-Mei?" Simon asked.

"You wouldn't make a very good rabbit would you, Simon? Too much work not enough fun. You are never going to reproduce. You need help." River turned and walked out the door.

"Wait, River, what are you… where are you going?" Simon yelled after her. "River?"

River turned back to Simon, "Obviously someone has to do all the dirty work around here, and since you are too dumb to do it yourself I'm going to do it for you."

"River, I don't want to 'reproduce' with Kaylee." Simon replied angrily.

River looked back at him like he had just drooled all over himself, obviously she knew something that Simon didn't think she did, or maybe he didn't even know it himself yet…


End file.
